A Simplified Healing Priest Gearing Guide - Get Raid-Ready in Phase 1-2 of WoW Classic!

Hey dudes. Silvite Soltis here. And today, I've got a bit of a fun guide for anyone playing, and capping, a priest in WoW Classic.

Looking around the internet and the hundreds of resources out there, I've found tons of "Pre-raid Best In Slot" Lists, which are great resources for those people who want to really push their characters to the max before stepping into Molten Core and Onyxia's Lair in classic. However, I've also noticed two major problems with these lists...

1 - They are almost all exclusively based on patch 1.12 gear, and thus include gear that will not be available at launch. I'm looking at you, Dire Maul loot...

2 - They don't take into account how easy or difficult the items are to obtain and ESPECIALLY in reference to each other. Some of the items are rare world drops (Cassandra's Grace, for example) and thus may not be viable options to pursue. Others drop in entirely different dungeons and thus don't allow for multiple chances to get drops within a single run.

So, in preparation for WoW Classic and my eventual capping of my own priest (hopefully still in Phase 1 of the content release), I thought it would be a good idea to sift through all of the data out there, comparing different items and how easy or difficult they are to obtain, and compile a "Good Enough" guide for all of my fellow priests who want to raid, but may not have enough time or desire to constantly farm dungeons over and over in preparation for it.

Without further ado, here we go.

------------------------------------------------

Step 0 - What You Can Do Before 60...

While leveling, try to snag bits of the Runecloth set, as they have decent intellect and spirit and will help significantly in the dungeons when you get to them. The items can start being collected as early as level 46, so it's definitely a worthwhile investment. 

If you're a tailor, this should be fairly easy assuming you actually worked on tailoring. You should also begin crafting Mooncloth (which has a four day cooldown) as soon as possible on the side to eventually craft Mooncloth gear upgrades for any missing slots once you reach step 5, or Truefaith Vestments if you really want the pre-raid BiS chest.

Step 1 - Do These Quests (before 60, if possible)

Make sure to complete the quests "In Dreams" in the Eastern Plaguelands and "It's Dangerous to Go Alone" in Un'Goro Crater. Both quests give powerful items (Fordring's Seal and Spirit of Aquementus, respectively) that will make the rest of the items that much easier to obtain.

"The Battle of Darrowshire" also offers a good neck for starting dungeons, but may be too difficult to complete (requiring a raid, if I'm not mistaken). Plus, its reward will hopefully be replaced by a much better neck soon after capping, but if you happen to get it while leveling, you'll be better prepared at 60.

Also, you should consider doing the Blasted Lands quest chain ending in "Heroes of Old" to get a decent green MP5 trinket, Shard of Afrasa. Ideally, it will be replaced soon enough, but it's good to have in case you have bad luck with drops.

Finally, you should consider completing the quest chains ending in "Order Must Be Restored" (Alliance) or "The Scarlet Oracle, Demetria" (Horde) as well, in order to obtain the powerful wand, Stormrager. While getting this ranged weapon might be particularly difficult around the beginning of WoW Classic, it's probably worth it considering the general lack of good wands pre-raid. All in all, it's a worthy goal to pursue in my opinion.

Step 2 - Blackrock Depths (As Soon As You Can)

Run BRD as soon as groups will take you. You should be pretty much fine to full clear it by level 55 - especially if you have another group member that can off-heal or if you run dungeons with an organized group. There are several AMAZING items in BRD that you'll need to obtain if you want to pull your weight in raids, but many of them come from bosses later in the dungeon. In particular, Hands of the Exalted Herald (dropped by Princess Moira Bronzebeard) and The Hammer of Grace (in the chest after the Trial of Seven event) are must-haves for any priest (and most healers, to be honest). The earlier you can grab these items, the better off you'll be.

If you are Horde, remember to grab the quest "The Rise of the Machines" from the Badlands before running it too, as you'll be able to get an awesome cloak, the Raincaster Drape, which won't be replaced for a long time. Alliance priests (or those wanting Fire Resist) can potentially pick up the Cape of the Fire Salamander from Ambassador Flamelash, which isn't perfect, but it's something along the way. Both Alliance and Horde priests can also grab Burst of Knowledge (Ambassador Flamelash) and Second Wind (Golem Lord Arglemach) in BRD as well, so really it's just a lot you can get while still leveling up.

To sum it up and keep it all in one place, here's a quick list of the items you should be aiming for in BRD:

Shoulders:
Kentic Amice from High Interrogator Gerstahn (increase damage AND healing, so expect competition).

Back: 
Raincaster Drape (Horde Only) from completing the quest "Rise of the Machines" which involves killing Golem Lord Arglemach.
Cape of the Fire Salamander (Alliance or Horde) from Ambassador Flamelash.
Spritecaster Cape from Houndmaster Grebmar

Hands:
Hands of the Exalted Herald from Princess Moira Bronzebeard. THIS IS A MUST-HAVE!!!

Legs:
Haunting Specter Leggings from the Trial of Seven (7 Dwarves Event).
Senior Designer's Pantaloons from Fineous Darkvire.

Feet:
Omnicast Boots from Golem Lord Arglemach.

Trinkets:
Burst of Knowledge from Ambassador Flamelash.
Second Wind from Golem Lord Arglemach. THIS IS A MUST-HAVE!!!

Weapon and Offhand:
The Hammer of Grace from the Trial of Seven (7 Dwarves Event). THIS IS A MUST-HAVE!!!
Thaurissan's Royal Scepter from Emperor Thaurissan.
OR
Guiding Stave of Wisdom from Emperor Thaurissan.


Ok, by now you SHOULD be at level 60. If you haven't done so already, consider doing the steps above. But in addition to those two things, you now have more work to do...

Step 3 - Stratholme

Run Undead Stratholme...a lot. In order to make this list as efficient as possible, I looked through all of the different loot in dungeons, but after doing so, I've found that there is an absolute crap-ton of suitable gear for holy priests in this dungeon. Before heading over there, make sure to pick up the quest "Houses of the Holy" from Light's Hope Chapel in order to get the Crown of the Penitent - a decent green helm with MP5.

Including the decent green helm, there are more than 10 great items you can potentially get here, making it by far the most lucrative dungeon you can run as a priest:

Head:
Crown of the Penitent from the quest mentioned above - "Houses of the Holy."
Crimson Felt Hat from Magistrate Barthilas (Absolutely wonderful helm for casters as well, so expect competition. However, this item will not be released until phase 2!).

Neck:
Animated Chain Necklace from Ramstein the Gorger. This item will not be released until phase 2!

Shoulders:
Soulstealer Mantle from Ramstein the Gorger.

Back:
Royal Tribunal Cloak from Magistrate Barthilas (if you somehow don't have better at this point).

Chest:
Robes of the Exalted from Baron Rivendare. THIS IS A MUST-HAVE!!!

Wrists:
Devout Bracers which are an BOE blue that may drop from the humanoid mobs in the dungeon, but can also be bought from the AH if desired.

Waist:
Thuzadin Sash from Nerub'enkan (You'll have to compete with caster DPS for this too! However, this item will not be released until phase 2!)

Legs:
Devout Skirt from Baron Rivendare (Magister's and Dreadmist legs drop as well).

Feet:
Devout Sandals from Maleki the Pallid.

Finger:
Seal of Rivendare from Baron Rivendare.

As you can see, there's a ton of loot to be had in Strat UD, so it's a REALLY good idea to get in as soon as possible. I should also mention that there are also several good items in Live Strat, though doing a full run of both sections will be VERY time-consuming. If you have the time and desire though, you could consider doing that as well.

Step 4 - Repeat Steps 2 and 3

Do BRD and Strat UD as much as possible until you've gotten Hands of the Exalted Herald, The Hammer of Grace, Robes of the Exalted, and Animated Chain Necklace. Really, these items are the ones with the most raw +healing and will thus be the greatest assets as a level 60 priest. Combined with Fordring's Seal from the quest "In Dreams," these items will give you a good amount of +healing.

Once you've gotten those items (and any other lucky drops along the way), you can start filling gaps... I highly advise holding off on filling gaps before getting those items, however, as there are so many good items you could obtain in those two dungeons alone!

Step 5 - Fill in the Blanks: Auction House, Scholomance, and Mooncloth

Fill in the blanks. If you've gotten the best items, you have two other fairly easy options for loot :

• Visit the AH for greens and/or Cassandra's Grace (Pre-raid BiS helm, but likely SUPER expensive). Some of the best items for priests are green quality +healing items, including Dragon Finger of Healing (Pre-raid BiS Wand) or Glowstar Rod of Healing (a close 2nd), +healing belts, or +healing offhands. Don't break the bank, though!

• If you're feeling cheap or there are no decent items in the Auction House, run Scholomance. There's a decent amount of good items you can get from running Scholo, including:
• Devout Crown (Head) from Darkmaster Gandling, which you might as well try for if you're running it anyway for set completion. Magister's and Dreadmist headpieces drop as well.
• Burial Shawl (Shoulder) from the various mini-bosses throughout Scholomance (you've got 6 chances for it to drop per run and it's got +20 spell damage and healing, but you have to compete with caster dps for it. This item will not be released until phase 2!)
• Penelope's Rose (Offhand) from the quest to kill Kirtonos the Herald. Pick up the quest from the ghosts outside to get this offhand with decent stats (though no +healing).
• Bonecreeper Stylus (Wand) from Darkmaster Gandling. A good wand, but again has +11 spell damage and healing, so you'll be competing with mages and warlocks.
• If you're a tailor, you can start crafting some Mooncloth pieces for any missing item slots. It'll probably have taken you a while to get through the other steps, so you should have enough saved up for at least a couple of pieces (unless you got super-lucky with drops in Strat and BRD). They've only got core stats, but hopefully you'll have enough +healing from other items to compensate. However, this will set you back if you are considering crafting the Truefaith Vestments, so keep that in mind...

What NOT to do to gear up...

Don't spam UBRS or LBRS for gear. There are a few really good items in there, but considering how few they are compared to other dungeons, it probably isn't worth the grind. That being said, if you happen to run these dungeons for other reasons (fun, quests, attunements, etc.), keep an eye out for the Dragonrider Boots (Feet) from Rend Blackhand, and Briarwood Reed (Trinket) from the rare spawn Jed Runewatcher in UBRS, and Skyshroud Leggings (Legs) from Highlord Omokk in LBRS. These are some of the best items at 60, but they're about the only ones of value in the dungeon. You can also possibly pick up a Devout Belt (Waist) in LBRS from trash, but you might be able to buy it cheap on the AH depending on the seller and save yourself a trip to the spire.

Final Thoughts

Congratulations on getting your priest to 60 and good luck with the gearing process. Obviously, there are tons of other items you could get - and even more once Dire Maul is released. But for any of you out there that wish to get the most bank for your buck in dungeon spamming early on in classic, this list should fit the bill just fine. Keep calm and run more Strat and BRD!

If I missed anything or if you thought this guide was useful, let me know by leaving a comment! I'd love to know if there's anything more I can add here, so make sure to tell me if there are better guides available for priest gearing at Classic launch. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter and check out my videos over on YouTube too!

But that's it for now. Good luck, again! And as always, take it easy!



A big thanks to Tigs's Vanilla Heal Priest BiS List and to vanillawowdb.com, without which this list wouldn't exist!

Memories of Vanilla #22 - Zipping Around in Zul'Farrak, Part 1

Hey dudes! Silvite Soltis back with another MoV for you!

Zul'Farrak Loading Screen

Last time, I wrapped up my story of how my ragtag team of adventures saved the baby gryphon, Sharpbeak, from evil forest trolls and acquired the all-important Mallet of Zul'Farrak. And while that was a crazy adventure with a very specific goal, I feel like it's important to backtrack a bit and talk about my first experience with everyone's favorite troll-themed dungeon. So, let's rewind a bit back to level 45 or so and put on some nooby goggles to head across the world to the legendary instance known as Zul'Farrak.

Here we go!

--------------------------------------------

The first time I went to Zul'Farrak was a chilly day in early 2006. I clearly remember that, though I don't think it was quite winter anymore at that point. I'd just gotten to that point in the "Saving Sharpbeak" quest chain that required me to get "Nekrum's Medallion" from the instance, and considering that I'd gotten a few more quests by that point, it seemed as good a time as any to go for it. However, I distinctly remember that I didn't want to heal, as I was getting pretty tired of being a healing tool at this point (especially since I felt like such a badass bringer of death with my Shadowform), so I set out to find a group as a DPS for a change.

It wasn't too hard to get a group, but it did take a while. About 20 minutes into my spamming of Tanaris general chat and killing some local wildlife, a druid whispered me asking if I'd set up a group if he healed it. So long as I didn't have to heal, I was fine with it. Thus the long campaign truly began. I knew we'd need a mage and a tank - that much was standard dungeon procedure to me at this point. But how to get them to join?

Well...just keep spamming, of course!

I could be mistaken about this next part, but if I'm not wrong, there was a channel called "World" chat at this point, allowing all players in the world to chat with each other at all times. Using this channel (or maybe Trade, I can't really remember at present), I managed to find a hunter, warrior, and mage to fill out our team. With a team of 5, we all headed down and over to the instance.

Or...that was the plan, at least.

Zul'Farrak

Unfortunately, I had no idea where the instance actually was, despite my many adventures in Tanaris and the multitude of quest leading me there. Sheepishly, I asked the druid if he could guide me there, as I'd not done it. And man, he was a bro about it, running out of the instance and all the way back over to me in Gadgetzan to guide me to the nearby instance. Eventually, (something around an hour after I'd initially set out to find a group, mind you) the five of us were stood inside and ready to begin. As was custom, I passed the lead to our warrior, who proceeded to pull without marking anything - leaving us scrambling to clean up.

Well, not ideal, but it worked. We managed to take out the first and second packs without significant issue. "Not too bad!" I thought to myself as I sat to drink after the third pack.

Well...not yet anyway.

By the end of that first hallway, our tank had begun marking a mob for sheeping and a kill target for us, which made things go even more swimmingly. We progressed along the sandy structures at a fairly brisk pace, pausing briefly for mana only every other pack or so. But the problems were about to start. As we approached that fountain at the split in the road, we were faced with our first hurdle - patrolling mobs in a small space. Until now, we'd had a decent amount of space to work with, pulling back along walls and out of sight. Here, however, there was no escaping the wandering troll troops as they approached. When one troll got low, it began running toward the patrols and instantly grabbed another 4 or so for us to deal with.

I'm not sure if we recovered from that or wiped to be honest, but I do remember sighing as I died from pulling aggro with an ill-timed Mind Blast. Either way, whether we wiped from that or not, we moved onward - passing CAREFULLY around the corners, through the paths, and over to the big open room with all the scarabs with that one boss patrolling around.

Theka the Martyr

Now, of course, someone warned us NOT to AOE because we'd be overwhelmed with scarabs. But, come on! It's vanilla! Someone (probably the hunter) HAD to do it. Thus as we attempted to kill the troll boss guy, we got roflstomped by about 30 scarabs and wiped.

Good times...

Well, fortunately for us, we'd only been in here for about half an hour at this point, so we still had plenty of time to finish the dungeon. So, we ran back in, back over to that boss, and CAREFULLY  pulled him backwards into the hallway to avoid a repeat of the previous attempt. With him dead, we continued along the hallway straight over to the Witch Doctor's room.

Now, it may not have been customary to do this back then (and it DEFINITELY isn't now), but for some reason we were instructed to run over all of the graves before we attempted to fight the boss in order to get rid of the adds. Again, I don't remember if this actually did anything for the fight, but I remember that as we killed all the undead trolls that spawned, I got too close and aggroed the Witch Doctor from outside, resulting in him spamming us with spells while we attempted to clean up the mess of death.

It wasn't pretty, but somehow (maybe after wiping once), we managed to kill everything in that room and get our loot - the Bad Mojo Mask! Super-hyped up, I smashed the need button! And within seconds, I received...

Bad Mojo Mask

Absolutely nothing.

Again, much like Whitemane's Chappeau, I was beaten by our local mage for this amazing headpiece... Aww man!

Well...by this point I was getting pretty used to it, so we pressed onward without issue. By this point, I was getting really tired of this instance, but hey - the end had to be close, right? And so, we moved around the corner and were greeted with a MASSIVE pyramid structure and several troll huts with packs of mobs, patrols, and a whole bunch of adventures just waiting to be had.

Our tank pulled the patrols first, clearing a path up to the pyramid. However, our mage (yeah the guy with the shiny new mask...) mentioned that for 'the event' we'd better have everything cleared. Curious, I asked:

"What event?"

"Oh! You're new here, huh? You'll see! :)" he replied.

"Ok..."

With surprising speed and ease, we cleaned out all the mobs wandering outside, including a random patrol that was wandering around a different path off to the south-west. Slowly, we headed up the steps of the pyramid to face him - the Sandfury Executioner.

Now, I expected this to be some big epic boss encounter, but he just kind of fell over. One of my party members looted him, picked up the key, and ran over to the cages that lay just beyond.

"Ready?" he asked us.

The Stair Event

Clearly everyone else was ready, so I went along with them and watched as the doors swung open and out stepped a group of 5 NPCs. As they walked over to the edge of the steps, I gasped in real life at the sight of what was happening at the base of the pyramid: hundreds of trolls had just spawned. And before I could gather my composure, they began running up the steps towards us...

Luckily, they were mostly non-elites, so even though there were several running up at any time, we managed to pick them off fairly easily. Still, I felt uneasy as the pack below never seemed to get any smaller, despite the increasing size of the waves of approaching enemies. Eventually, I managed to sit for a moment to drink and catch my breath, but as I did so, I watched as two particular trolls spawned at the back of the pack - Nekrum Gutchewer and Shadowpriest Sezz'ziz.

A Sandfury Cretin

With new strength, we pushed through the final waves of troll mobs and began our attack on the troll leaders. Somehow, despite all the hardship and lack of mana, we managed to defeat the two and were rewarded with some basic loot stuffs and a quest item (yay Nekrum's Medallion!). Mission accomplished!

Well...not quite. Again, one party member asked "Ready?". To this, I just sighed and sat to drink before nodding. Without any idea of what was going on, I looked on in amazement as the NPCs we'd just saved turned red and began attacking our group. Our mage managed to sheep one add while we burned each of the others in some sort of order, but it was pretty much a huge free-for-all. Ahh well...we can't all be epic gaming legends, right?

Anyway, Sergeant Bly and his companions (including the goblin that tried to run away) fell, and we looted yet another quest item from his corpse before we continued our assault. After all, there were still two objectives left for me at this point - Gahz'rilla's Electrified Scale and the Tiara of the Deep. Naturally, I had no idea where these items were, but I followed the team as they ran down the last remaining pathway...

--------------------------------------------

I hope you enjoyed this tale of adventures in Zul'Farrak. Originally, I'd intended for this story to be one installment by itself, but as I worked, I realized that it's just too much for one post. So, I decided at the last minute that I should save the ending for another story. After all, dungeons are just too epic to tell about in one sitting, right?

Anyway that's it for today. If you enjoyed this story, remember to follow my blog for the conclusion! Also, check out my YouTube channel for similar content in video form. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter for updates or to chitchat about Classic WoW. And no matter where you are or what you're doing...

Take it easy!

Top 5 - Classic WoW Tier Sets

Hey dudes! Silvite Soltis here today with ANOTHER top 5 list.

Vanilla WoW is known for many things - the community, the epic-long dungeons and PVP battles, and the awesome leveling experience to name a few. And while I've covered a few of those in previous top 5s, there's another important aspect of the game that I haven't really touched on yet - Loot!

Loot and gear are among the most important items in any MMO. And of course World of Warcraft is no exception. And while we've had many (and I mean MANY) different gear sets over the years, I feel that those introduced back in Classic are among the most popular and artistically inspired pieces we've ever seen.

That being said, there are an absolute ton of great sets spread throughout the game, including dungeons, raids, and crafted gear. So, to start, we're going to head back into Molten Core, Blackwing Lair, Onyxia's Lair, Ahn'Qiraj, and Naxxramas to talk about my picks for the TOP 5 Classic WoW Tier Sets. Keep in mind that these are all my own personal opinion and mostly focus on their appearances, so don't be offended if you share a different view. We're all different people with different tastes after all, so instead of starting a flame war, feel free to share your own top 5 in the comments! I'd love to hear what you have to say.

But with that out of the way, let's get into the list...

#5 - The Earthshatterer

K so, as a person who basically only ever played Alliance, I'll be the first to say that I absolutely adore the shaman sets - all of them, to be honest. And while the first two tiers are a bit too colorful (and purple) to give me the impression of what a shaman should be, the tier 3 set LOOKS shamanistic to me. Glowing magma shoulders with somewhat sinister looking eye effects make this set look really fantastic. If I ever saw someone wearing this in a battleground, or even just out in the open world back in late 2006, I knew to steer clear.

That being said, it's definitely among the sets I saw the least back in the day - only really getting a good look when it was redone for Wrath of the Lich King's tier 7 and 7.5 sets. Still, it's an awesome looking set that I'm really excited to see my guildmates get in the future.

#4 - Battlegear of Wrath

Ahh, the classic warrior - with gigantic shoulderpads and a freaking axe on its helmet. The tier 2 warrior gear is definitely my favorite warrior set of all-time. Though it may be a bit too colorful for what one might imagine a badass fantasy warrior wearing, I think that's part of the aesthetic of this gear. The glowing green on the shoulders and the full-head coverage (complete with horns and blades) make this set just exude an aura of power and importance.

If your tank had this set, you knew you were well-protected. And if you play a warrior in Classic, you should be damn sure to run Onyxia and BWL every week to fill out this skull-covered mass of metal awesomeness!

#3 - Nemesis Raiment

Speaking of Tier 2, here's another set that I love from that era of raiding - the Nemesis Raiment for warlocks is one of the most badass sets of cloth armor out there. Not only does it get the shadowy feel of warlocks with its dark purple and fel-green color, but it also has demonic glowing skulls for shoulders and the helm. Plus, it's got massive horns on the top, which makes basically everyone wearing this set a full head taller.

Compared with the rainbow fabulosity of their tier 1 set, I feel this is a much more accurate representation of the edginess of the warlock. Sure, it might not offer as much protection as the warrior's Wrath set, but for a warlock dabbling in demonic energies and shadow magic, a sinister outfit like this will suit the bill just fine. If I played a warlock in Classic, this would have to be my endgame goal...

And I'd spam the hell out of Shadowbolt to get there...

#2 - Dreamwalker Raiment

The only druid gear I really like in Classic, the Dreamwalker Raiment is one of the most visually appealing sets in all of World of Warcraft to me even to this day. I was overjoyed to get the tier 7.5 version on my tauren back in WotLK, but I always wished I could have gotten the original back in the day for one reason above all else.

It's FREAKING green. Like...super green.

Yeah it's a bit of a personal preference, but I really love the color green. Add into the mix that the whole idea of druidism is about nature and ties in with the emerald dragonflight, and one can really start to see how well this set matches with the class aesthetic.

When I set out choosing a main for WoW Classic, I was actually really torn between two options - troll priest or night elf druid. And while in the end I chose to go with a troll, I can say 100% that this set was a very big influence on my heavy consideration of the druid class. Love it and really hope to see a lot of Tier 3 druids from 2021 or so - especially in my groups!

Honorable Mentions

Judgement Armor

Plagueheart Raiment

Frostfire Regalia

Vestments of Faith

Bloodfang Armor

Dishonorable Mentions - ALL OF THE AQ40 SETS!

          

#1 - Vestments of Prophecy

Vestments of Prophecy

Alright, so this is probably super-unexpected for a lot of people, but my ABSOLUTE favorite classic WoW tier set has got to be the Tier 1 priest gear - the Vestments of Prophecy. While the other sets in this list (including the honorable mentions) all have a special place in my heart, the priest tier 1 is just way closer to me.

There are a few reasons for this. Number 1, it's the only set that I got any pieces of back in the day (bought the belt from the auction house right around the launch of the Burning Crusade). As such, it's a got some sentimental value. Number 2, and more importantly, it just looks like how one would imagine a high-priest to look - whether in reality or in fantasy. The shoulders look like religious garments. The robe is embroidered in gold and silver, and the helm is more of an extension of the back, rather than a hat of some sort, making the character look more high-ranking in my opinion - especially when combined with the epic healing staff, Benediction.

But honestly at THIS moment, I think the biggest reason that I love this set so much is that it's the set I see myself wearing the longest upon reaching 60 in WoW Classic. As a dad with two small children, I probably won't be able to commit much time to hardcore raiding. And as such, I'll probably be an MC raider for a good chunk of WoW Classic's lifetime - assuming I can manage to raid at all. So, while I'd love to raid all the way up through Naxxramas, I feel that this set will keep me looking sufficiently badass no matter what comes my way. Sure, it might be a silly reason, but it's what I've got to look forward to. Plus, like I said, Benediction with this gear looks super-badass. So...yeah.

-------------------------------------------

So anyway, that's my list of the Top 5 Classic WoW Tier Sets. I'm sure that as we move forward through classic, my views will change as I see more and more gear, but for now I'd love to know what you think. Summer is fast approaching, so let me know which sets you think look the coolest by posting a comment below. If you enjoyed this list and would like to see more in the future, follow my blog by adding yourself to my email list below. Check out my videos over on YouTube, and feel free to follow me on Facebook and Twitter for updates.

But anyway, that's all for now. See you next time, and as always...

Take it easy!

Memories of Vanilla #21 - Sharpbeak and the Mallet of Zul'Farrak

Hey dudes! Welcome back to Silvite Soltis' series, Memories of Vanilla. It's been a while, huh?

Last time, I recapped the story of how I ended up at the Altar of Zul in the Hinterlands by killing myself with a Violet Tragan and meeting a ragtag group of adventurers when I rezzed. Well today, we're going to continue that adventure.

If you enjoy this story, remember to check out my other content here, as well as over on YouTube. There's a lot more coming, so make sure to get notifications when new content is released.

But for now, on with the story...

-----------------------------------------------------------

Jintha'Alor

Our group of four made our way over to the massive troll stronghold of Jintha'Alor and immediately knew we were in for a rough time. Lining the stairways heading up the mountain were packs upon packs of elite troll mobs.

I had no idea how many there were beyond that first stairway, but judging by the sheer size of the stronghold, I knew this was no 15 minute group quest.

Vilebranch Troll

And so, we began our ascent. Carefully pulling each troll back, we slowly made progress up the mountainous village. One by one and two by two, the vile forest trolls fell. But more than once we accidentally pulled extra mobs, either by standing too close to a patrol or when a low mob would attempt to flee, and our group wiped. Whenever this would happen, we'd sigh, run back, rez up, and continue our difficult endeavor.

It was a long, painstaking grind, but eventually after about an hour or so of getting lost and turned around in our climb, we reached the top. And there, locked in a cage on the other side of a cave, was a baby gryphon named Sharpbeak.

Back when I'd first visited the Hinterlands, I had started a quest chain in Aerie Peak to search for a baby gryphon - Swiftwing's heir - in different locations around the zone. And though one of the quests in that chain had required me to visit the Alter of Zul prior, at the time I had simply run up and completed the scouting mission without trying to defeat the two elite trolls there (I died, of course). So through my adventures in Azeroth and eventually running through ZF for the first time (a story for a later MoV installment), I'd managed to get to this final step of the chain. However, no matter how many times I clicked on the cage, it remained locked. Reading the quest text, I knew what needed to be done.

Jintha'Alor Altar

Our group backtracked a bit, searching for the Vile Priestess Hexx and the Jintha'Alor Altar simultaneously among all the high-level elite packs. Luckily for me, both were in the same location. Unfortunately, however, it took a long time for us to find it - getting lost in the various rooms and areas atop the mountain. At one point, we ended up in a room filled with slimes and had to fight our way out of the pit in the center which, while not particularly hard, did kill a good 5 minutes or so of our progress. Eventually, though, we did find the altar in the distance - and the Vile Priestess was just a few yards away, patrolling around the cave entrance nearby.


Buffing, drinking up, and preparing ourselves, we ran in to engage. After all, even if my group-mates didn't need her, she was too close to get to the altar without risking a facepull. If I remember correctly, she had a hex ability that turned us into frogs a few times as we battled her, but otherwise the fight was pretty straightforward. As she fell, I looted the key to Sharpbeak's cage and joined my party members over by the altar. Clicking the Sacred Mallet, I sighed in relief as it was transformed into the object we'd sought - The Mallet of Zul'Farrak!


One objective down, one to go.


We backtracked through the path we'd just cleared, killing the repops as they spawned, all the while making our way over to the cage where Sharpbeak lay. Looking from left to right, as to make sure no other trolls were waiting to eat my face, I carefully made my way over to the cage and clicked on it. Within seconds, it swung open and the baby gryphon flapped its wings once more.

Farewell, Sharpbeak! You're Free!

Sharpbeak was free!


My party enjoyed the short scripted event that followed - Sharpbeak fluttering over to the edge of the mountain as his parents flew overhead to greet him and take him home. Shedding a tear IRL, I nodded as the three gryphons flew off into the sunset and turned back to my party to ask...


"Ok, so what next?"

-----------------------------------------------------------

I hope you enjoyed this installment of Memories of Vanilla. It was a really fun little tale to recount, especially after just discussing the Saving Sharpbeak quest chain in my most recent video. These two events - the quest and obtaining the mallet - were really powerful memories of my late 40s back in early 2006. Looking back, I'm really going to miss that long quest chain as I climb Jintha'Alor again on my troll priest for the mallet later this year. But I guess that's just the way it is, huh?


Anyway, that's all for now. If you like this post, follow my blog for more content later on, or check out my videos over on YouTube. Leave a comment letting me know about your own memories, and feel free to follow me on Facebook and Twitter for updates when new content is released. I try to make something every week or so, and with several months until WoW Classic is out, you can rest assured there's a lot more coming until I take a no-life neckbeard break for the first few weeks...But that's all I've got for today. See you next time! And as always...


Take it easy!

Top 5 - Classic WoW Alliance Quest Chains

Hey dudes! Silvite Soltis here again and today I'm happy to finally be doing another top 5 list. It's been a while since I played around with this - mostly due to lots of real-life commitments and the like - but since I'd really like to do at least one every month, now seems as good a time as ever to jump back into it.

So far, we've already covered my top 5 dungeons, zones, music tracks, and classes. Because of that, and the fact that my Memories of Vanilla series keeps reminding me of these, I've decided to head back out into the world and tell about my favorite quest chains in classic World of Warcraft.

Keep in mind that my vanilla experience has been basically entirely Alliance until now, so for this list I'm only going to focus on the Alliance quests. I'm planning to do another top 5 for Horde quest chains when I eventually complete many of them on WoW Classic later this year, but for now let's just get right into it. Here are my Top 5 Classic WoW Alliance Quest Chains!

-------------------------------------------------

#5 - Saving Sharpbeak

The Feels...

Actually probably one of the more surprising entries on this list - especially for people like me that entirely forgot that the Hinterlands existed for a while - Saving Sharpbeak tells the heartwarming story of a Dwarf and his Gryphon. Or, rather, his search for the baby Gryphon. See, some evil troll dudes had apparently kidnapped Sharpbeak and were planning to sacrifice him or something like that. Of course, in the beginning we had no idea about any of that though. As the standard adventurer, it was the player's job to run around the zone of the Hinterlands, searching for clues as to where Sharpbeak might have been taken.


What follows is an adventure of epic proportions in which you travel the world - down to the Blasted Lands, across the ocean into Zul'Farrak, and eventually back to the Hinterlands - in search of the answer. What has happened to Swiftwing's heir? What has happened to Sharpbeak?


Eventually, we found out that the gryphon was atop the massive troll stronghold of Jintha'Alor and our objective is clear: We fight our way through the droves of elite forest troll enemies, kill one of the leaders there, steal the key, and then find and free Sharpbeak.


Honestly, I still get chills when I think of this quest. Even though it's only one of MANY amazing quest chains in classic WoW, and may honestly be forgotten by many, it's got a special place in my heart. Thus I believe it is a solid quest chain to start off this list.

#4 - The Embalmer

Just an Old Dude in a Graveyard. Nothing to See Here...

Ok so, there's this creepy old dude hanging out in a shack by a graveyard. Next to him is a giant crate with chains holding it shut. What do you do?


Well...literally everything he asks you to apparently.


All kidding aside though, this quest chain is absolutely amazing. You start out believing you're just performing some simple errands for a poor old man who has made himself a hermit out by the Raven Hill Cemetery. As you follow his instructions, however, things begin taking a darker and darker turn. Eventually, after many adventures throughout the Duskwood zone, you are tasked with delivering a letter to the town hall of Darkshire. Soon after, a roar is heard in the woods: Stitches has been unleashed.


The Embalmer questline (AKA Stitches) is an amazing story that really emphasizes the role we, the player, find ourselves in as we traverse the world of Azeroth. We are merely random dudes or dudettes looking for some loot, coin, and sweet exp from any quest giver we can find. And though this quest chain is littered with red flags in the dialogue, we didn't care as long as we got ours. (Plus, did anyone actually read the quest text the first time around?) But for those of us with a soul, and the patience to actually read what we were doing instead of tabbing to Thottbot for every quest, the guilt felt at the end of the chain about what we'd unleashed upon our fellow leveling players in Duskwood was real.

#3 - The Missing Diplomat

Holy massively long quest chain, Batman!

Wanna Go on an Adventure?

One of the only quest chains in this list that actually kept the same name throughout its entire duration, The Missing Diplomat begins by tasking the player with speaking with a bishop in Stormwind to discuss a highly confidential issue of great importance to the Alliance. As lowly level 28-30s, we had no idea what we were in for as we began this quest. But eventually, we'd unravel the mystery as the quest givers sent us from zone to zone, speaking with all sorts of undercover individuals, scouring a marsh, and just generally being badass detectives.

Fight me, Bro!

Eventually, we learn that the diplomat that went missing was the freaking KING OF STORMWIND! And that the Defias Brotherhood (you know...those guys we kicked out of Westfall back at level 20 or so) were behind his disappearance.

Is this Quest Chain Done Yet? Nope!

Honestly, I don't remember every step of this chain - mostly because it's close to 20 quests in total - but when I hear the name of this chain mentioned in other videos, I always get a tingle of nostalgia. The Missing Diplomat is, quite frankly, the first quest where we as a player begin to feel less like a nameless adventurer and more like a genuine hero of the Alliance. It's an absolute MUST to complete while leveling in Classic WoW and I look forward to doing it again (someday) on my Alliance alts.

#2 - The Defias Brotherhood

VanCleef

No matter what race or class you rolled, everyone that has played an Alliance character past level 20 has done this quest. It is possibly the most defining quest of lowbie Alliance questing and the first time we see ourselves really unraveling a serious mystery out in the world. Until this chain, our leveling experience mostly focused on "run over there and kill those guys," followed up by "ok, now go kill some of those slightly stronger guys" or "go pick up 10 of these and 3 of those" quests. The Defias Brotherhood, however, had us travel back and forth between zones to investigate this mysterious organization that has been causing all sorts of problems around the kingdom of Stormwind.


Eventually, we uncovered the true nature of this shady organization and dived into the Deadmines to take out the head - both figuratively and literally. And upon completing this task, we were rewarded with an object of great power - a blue quality item (the first for many of us back in the day - especially if you didn't get lucky in the dungeon).


Honestly, choosing between The Missing Diplomat and The Defias Brotherhood was a really hard decision to make, as both are EXTREMELY iconic Alliance quest chains that really showed our growth as characters in the story of Azeroth at that time. The only real reason I placed The Defias Brotherhood over The Missing Diplomat in the end is that it is just a bit more straightforward and widely known. Like I said, EVERYONE has done this quest, whereas my #3 was more exclusive due to its higher level requirement. The Defias Brotherhood also culminates in a dungeon, which is always a fun way to end a quest chain, in my opinion. All in all, a solid #2.

Honorable Mentions

• In Defense of the King's Lands (Loch Modan)
• The Maclures and the Stonefields (Elwynn Forest)
• Beached Sea Creatures (Darkshore)
• Literally every other quest chain in Duskwood... (Morbent Fel, Mor'Ladim, The Legend of Stalvan, etc.)

#1 - Onyxia Attunement

If you managed to make it this far in this list, I really doubt you're surprised by this choice of number 1. Everyone that talks about WoW Classic, and everyone I've ever spoken to about the quests, raves about this quest chain and how amazing it is. From start to finish, it's a roller coaster of adventure.

Stormwind Rendezvous

You start off with a simple unsuspecting quest in the Burning Steppes - kill some dragons. Easy enough. But before you know it you're diving into Blackrock Depths, running to Stormwind, searching for notes, and breaking a random dude in his boxers out of prison. All for what?

To go and slay a big freaking dragon that's manipulating your kingdom from the inside, that's what!

Ohai!

Seriously, the Onyxia attunement quest chain has got some of the most gripping and engaging storytelling in all of classic WoW. Telling the amazing story of Reginald Windsor, a character who is both badass and tragic, this questline really pulls in the player and makes you feel like a champion of the Alliance. Sure, some of the individual quests can be frustrating at times and it's not the most intuitive of quests - especially having to find the crumpled up note to continue in the middle, but honestly these aspects are what made it so intriguing. An unwary player could finish all the prerequisites, not knowing what it was leading to, find the note, and then be sucked right back into it!

Oshit!

Plus, after breaking Windsor out of prison, you got the single-greatest solo event in Classic - The Great Masquerade - in which you slowly walk through the city streets with the Alliance hero to confront the Brood Mother in the Keep. Ok yeah, the quest is labeled as a 60+ raid quest, but c'mon. Who actually did it in a raid group?

She Deep Breathes More...

But it didn't end there! Once you finally got that far, you had the super-vague task of finding some random person who can help you from there. And, of course, that person is on the opposite side of the world in the middle of nowhere in Winterspring...


Do a dungeon (UBRS this time), get some blood, empower a necklace, and go fight a big-ass dragon!


10/10 would do again.

-------------------------------------------------

So, there you have it - my top 5 Alliance quest chains in World of Warcraft: Classic. Honestly, there are tons of amazing quests that all have a place in my heart, but these are the first and most powerful ones I could think of. It's also worth noting that I didn't focus much on the early Kalimdor zones back in the day, so I may have missed a few gems in places like Teldrassil, Darkshore, and Ashenvale. So, let me know if there were any particularly notable chains there if you like and I'll definitely check them out.

Initially, I was thinking maybe I should make a "Top 5 Classic Quests" post, but seeing as I'd never really played Horde back in the day, I decided to focus on one side here. As I've said before, I'm planning on maining Horde when WoW Classic launches in summer 2019, so I think when the time comes I'll make a list for Horde side to go with this one. And, of course, I'll make a list for neutral quests as well for good measure - as there are an absolute crap-ton of amazing chains that both sides can do.

But anyway, that's all for now. If you enjoyed this, make sure to follow my blog by adding yourself to my email list below. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter, and check out my video content over on YouTube. There's a lot more coming later on, but for now, take it easy!

Memories of Vanilla #20 - High Up in the Hinterlands!

Hey dudes. Silvite Soltis back again for my next chapter of Memories of Vanilla - my reflective series of my adventures back in original World of Warcraft from 2005 to 2007.

Last time, I told the brief story of how I ended up in Tanaris, as well as my most memorable adventures there. And while it was good times, I completely forgot about another zone that I leveled in for a bit back in the day - a foresty zone in the mountains nestled between Hillsbrad, Arathi, and the Alterac Mountains, the Hinterlands.

The Hinterlands (Map)

So sit back, relax, and enjoy, as I tell the story of what I remember of that scenic zone from back in the day...

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Quest

Honestly, I don't remember the first time I went to this zone. I know most of the mobs here were in the early 40s, so I was probably here at some point before getting my mount. But really, I don't remember much about those quests. Something about necklaces and killing trolls and...I don't know - maybe wolves? Or owlkins?

Anyway, the things I really remember from this zone came later when I got a quest from a goblin in Tanaris to go collect something called a Violet Tragan, which could be found in a lake over in that faraway zone. I remember putting this quest off for a while as I finished up some other quests in Tanaris, but eventually deciding it would be a good idea to head over - just for completion sake.

A Violet Tragan

So, I made the long journey back to the Eastern Kingdoms, flew up to Aerie Peak, and began my search for the magic mushroom. I must have been somewhere around level 46 or 47 by this point, because the mobs scattered around the fields posed little threat as I ran past, searching for the lake. Eventually, I located it in the center of the zone as the quest had instructed. Diving deep underwater, I found the bottom of the lake littered with these mushrooms, so I collected one, swam up to the surface, and looked in my bags, just to make sure it was there.



Scrolling over the new item in my bags, I confirmed that I'd looted it and was about to hit my hearthstone to head back to Tanaris to finish this quest and the last few that lingered in my quest log for the desert. But then I noticed something, the item's use text:

"Don't eat me."

Ok so, something bad was probably going to happen. But being 15 and curious, I couldn't just IGNORE this mushroom's text. After all, if something tells a teenager NOT to do something, what do you think they're going to do?

So I clicked it. And panicked as I watched my health whittle away rapidly as a result of the potent poison's effect. Frantic, I attempted to spam my flash heal button, but it was no use - I was in Shadowform and couldn't cast holy spells. And so, I died. GG Silvite. GG...



I ran back to my body, deciding not to repeat that mistake again, and sat to eat and drink up to full. As I sat there though, I noticed a group running over to some pyramid-like structure nearby - the Altar of Zul. And while I wasn't really sure what there was to do there, I wouldn't have to wait long to find out.

The Altar of Zul

"Hey, Silvite. You're a priest! Would you mind coming and healing us for this? We're getting the Mallet of Zul'Farrak!" one of the players whispered me as I dived back into the water to collect my mushroom.

"Well..." I began replying. I had been planning to head back to Tanaris, but I'd heard about the Mallet before and was curious. So... "sure. Sounds like a plan to me!"

Up popped the invite and away we went. The trolls lining the pathway up the altar posed little threat to our party of four level 40-somethings, but what awaited us at the top was definitely more of a challenge. As I'd come to know, there were two level 50 elite troll mobs at the top that needed to be killed in order to claim the Mallet of Zul'Farrak - the Keepers, Morta'gya and Qiaga.

Morta'gya the Keeper

This battle was actually quite challenging for our group, as there were tons of other non-elite trolls at the top that we decided we'd have to pull separately. I mind soothed the one that was slightly closer, which allowed us to get just close enough to pull the mobs, but more than once we accidentally pulled the two elites and ran away - scared to face such a large pack without being properly prepared. Finally, however, we had just the keepers remaining and our plan was underway.

Our mage polymorphed the keeper closer to the stairs and we burned the other as fast as possible. I don't remember if she had any dangerous abilities, but with the careful pulling and crowd control, it ended fairly quickly. With her safely slain, we turned our attention to the other. All in all, the plan went swimmingly. Unlike my plan to get the mushroom initially had...

Anyway though, after both elites lay dead in front of us, we all looted their bodies. To my surprise, there was no Mallet of Zul'Farrak though - only an item called the Sacred Mallet.

"What about the Mallet of Zul'Farrak?" I asked in party chat.

"Oh man," one of my group-mates replied, "we're only getting started..."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I hope you enjoyed this tale of adventures in the Hinterlands. It's a zone that I honestly COMPLETELY forgot about when I started this series, but a good one nonetheless. When I think back now on everything I did there - both these memories, the ones before, and the many that came after - I really think that it's a bit of an underappreciated zone. Sure, it's not as forgettable as Desolace, but really...what is?

Anyway, that's it for today's installment. Next time, I'll round up the story of how I got the Mallet of Zul'Farrak, as well as how I saved a baby gryphon from some super-evil forest trolls. If you enjoyed this post, remember to follow my blog here, or check out my YouTube channel for additional content! Follow me on Facebook and/or Twitter for more updates or just to chitchat about WoW Classic. I'd love to hear your memories of the game back in the day as we all wait for that summer 2019 release. But anyway, for now...

Take it easy!